Crossing the border with Blue Jays beat reporter Jordan Bastian.

Stepping Away

I am stepping away from the Blue Jays beat for a few weeks. I’m heading back to Chicago now that Baby Bastian is starting to figure out where the exit is located and could be showing his face any moment now. So, I won’t be blogging for a while and the updates on Twitter (@MLBastian) will be minimal over the next couple weeks.

Catch you down the road….

~JB

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Good luck with the new one, Jordan. Hope everyone is healthy.
I just now checked in on the White Socks and Reds. Scott Rolen is back from post concussion syndrome with a clean bill of health, and is hitting .316 in his last 10 games. Alex Rios has played 12 games and is 9 for 45, or .200, with 1 fielding error.

I think we’d all better get used to pronouncing Rzepczynski, cause I think we’re going to see a lot of him next year with this kind of attitude:

“Who cares about the hits?” Rzepcznski said. “I’m more upset about the five walks. Control is what’s going to get me deeper into ballgames, and throwing a hundred and whatever pitches I did in six innings is way too many.”

Rzepczynski sure looks like the real thing. He still has some lapses with his control, but I really like the way he can maintain his composure and work out of trouble. “Load the bases with 2 out? Oh, well, we’ll just have to get the next guy out.”
It’s going to be a very interesting Spring Training.

Although, I never saw the pitch that hit Scutaro, I did see the pitch Bard threw purposely at Barajas’s head. I hope Scutaro’s ok.

Although I don’t condone throwing at someone particularly someone’s head, we must protect our hitters. I was surprised Cito didn’t protest. but maybe the protest should come from a 98 mph fastball from League.

Any pitcher that hits a batter should be tossed out of the game. Any pitcher that injures a batter should be out of baseball as long as that hit batter is out of baseball. So if the hit batter’s career ends, then so does the pitcher’s.

Might be unfair to pitchers but it could be the batter’s life or career.

I saw Carlos Delgado get plunked in the ribs one time. He didn’t get upset, took his base, and the next time up, he hit one into the second deck. On his way down to first, he just shot the pitcher a meaningful glance. That”s how you get even.

I didn’t see the pitch that hit Scutaro either, but Beckett’s fastball was all over the shop last night, so I don’t think it was intentional.
Unfortunately, pitchers need to be willing and able to pitch inside without fear of ejection in order to protect the plate. Unfortunately, batters get injured (Zaun, Overbay, Rolen, etc.), and that is part of baseball. The rules are fair as they are, because in most cases, the damage is done by a wild pitch, not by any intention on the pitcher’s part. IMHO, if batters are suffering concussions from being hit in the head, maybe baseball needs update the design of the batting helmets, which don’t seem to have changed since they were invented.

Beckett’s pitch at Scutaro was definitely intentional, watch the video and see the smirk on his face. In addition and actually in some ways more unsettling was Bard’s pitch at Barajas which also intentional.

Pitching inside and even hitting someone is one thing-throwing at their head is quite another and Beckett is getting a reputation for doing this. Injuries are one thing, career ending injuries or death because of it are something else again.

Pathetic game, this team is becoming an embarrassment, but yet JP has no intention of calling up any kids, just guys already on the 40 man roster with MLB experience or so he says here:

I think most of the guys we’ll bring up, you’ve seen before — not a lot of secrets,” Ricciardi said. “I don’t think we’re going to be bringing up anybody that’s new to the big leagues. I think just guys to help us get through the month with some extra players.”

If one is to believe JP that means no Arrencibia and no Dopirak. I wonder how exactly this idiot expects fans to come to games or keep interest in this team.
Bringing up guys to get us through, Christ bring up the entire AA & AAA team and send everyone else home, we’d probably win more games and they’d sure as hell be more fun to watch than this pathetic group we now call a major league team.

I expect we’ll see Nolan Ryan come out of retirement and pitch in Texas, throwing a no hitter with nothing else but 75 mph fastballs straight down the middle of the plate.

I’d also expect a couple of dark brown stains on Blue Jay management’s shorts for not trading Halladay before the trading deadline (and if there isn’t there should be).
Last time I checked trade value of a pitcher doesn’t go up when he gives up 17 runs in his last 17 innings.

Three potential September call-ups made their case in last nights game.

David Purcey pitched the first complete game shutout for the 51’s this year, giving up 3 hits, walked none and retired 27 of 30 batters.

J.P Arrencibia went 3-4 with 2 home runs and 3 rbi’s to go along with his 1 hr and 2 rbi’s of yesterday, giving him a total of 18 hr’s and 65 rbi’s in 108 games. I guess it makes a difference when the game temperature is under 100.

Brian Dopirak went 3-4 also with 1 hr and 3 rbi’s, giving him 27 hr’s and 96 rbi’s for the year. (131 games)

I dont understand why they think JP Arencibia is not ready for the Majors or even September call-ups

I think 18hr in 108 games is surprisingly good for a C
that would translate to about 30 HR in 162 games.
which would be amazing for a C.
whats more is that he is still young and will develop more power in the future. also like you said, pitching in Las Vegas, with that catching equipment, it will take a toll.

So considering that he could have potentially hit 35-40.
now ofcourse the Major Leagues are much harder than the minor so assuming that lets say he isn’t able ot hit 35-40 HR
but ofcourse he can still hit 20-25, which is once again more than amazing for a Cather.
bring him up.

Dopirak is just raking it, better than overbay for sure.
is he on pace to hit 35 HR?

Considering that Arrencibia is only 23, there’s a very good case for stating he could ultimately get to 30-35 home runs at the MLB level. I think he’ll actually hit more here than AAA, because he won’t be playing in average temperatures of 110 and the lighting is better. Remember he did hit 27 hr’s with 105 rbi’s last year in 126 games, so this isn’t a first time occurrence.

Dopirak looks like a pure hitter, hits to all fields with power, good bat control and takes what the pitchers give him. AAA season ends on September 7th, so there’s only 8 games left for Vegas to play. Again he has a history of hitting home runs, with 29 last year along with 101 rbi’s in 128 games. He has hit 39 one year before he got injured.

What excites me is when these two guys are combined with Hill, Snider, Lind and Ruiz and if EE recovers from the wrist injury and gets back to normal, we could have 7 guys in the lineup all capable of hitting 30 hr’s and driving in 100 RBI’s. Now that makes us competitive.

So all Dopirak did last night was go 4-5, with a double and 2 rbi’s, raising his BA for the last 10 games to .366 and his year numbers in Vegas to .344/.375/.545. His total numbers for the year are now 41 doubles, 27 home runs and 98 rbi’s meaning he’ll likely be the first Jay player to reach 100 rbi’s, like he was last year.

Arencibia hit another home run, which is his 4th in the last 3 games and 19 for the year of 109 games played. He is heating up as game time temperatures drop below 100-which isn’t a surprise to me. If these two guys aren’t part of the September call ups, something is wrong.

Initial September call ups are Brian Wolfe, Dirk Hayhurst and Joe Inglett, no Accardo, Purcey, Arencibia or Dopirak. I agree on Dirk Hayhurst, but Wolfe and Inglett-really.

The Jays sent down Accardo to bring up Janssen who’s been a disaster (6.25 era) when Accardo’s era was 2.50 and more importantly had only given up 1 run in his last 10 outings here or 9.2 innings, so his era over his last 10 outings was under 1.00.
Further, Wolfe was a disaster here (7.56 era) and continued his disaster in Vegas (5.50) so why in hell is Wolfe getting called up instead of Accardo.
What’s the story on Accardo, JP, did he tell you to piss off or something. This makes no sense what so ever.

Even if you don’t like Accardo, he’s potentially a valuable trade item since he did close for us and did an effective job this year, so why not bring him back up showcase him and get something out of him.

And why Inglett? He’s never going to be more than a fill in utility guy. Where’s Arencibia and Dopirak? Are we trying to build for the future or just limp through the end of year and pass on 2010 and 2011?

And why don’t we bring up short stop Angel Sanchez and see what we got. We already know what Inglett is.
We might lose Scutaro to free agency, Sanchez is now over his surgery and put up nice numbers .305/.365/.478 in Vegas and hits .304 with risp. What have we got to lose by trying him out up here?

gsjays, thanks for posting the pic for us non-twitter-ers. I wonder why his middle name isn’t Rzepczynski? What a missed opportunity?!! Congratulations to the Bastians. Now, the games have REALLY begun.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Pacific Coast League today announced Randy Ruiz of the Las Vegas 51s was named the 2009 PCL Most Valuable Player, an honor annually chosen by the League’s managers and media representatives.

Ruiz currently leads the league in RBI (106), doubles (43) and extra base hits (70). His (.320) batting average is eighth in the league, and is sixth in the league in runs scored (81). The first baseman is fourth in the PCL in slugging percentage (.584) and in home runs (25).

This season, he was selected as the starting first baseman for the PCL in the Triple-A All-Star Game held in Portland, OR. In 2008 with the Rochester Red Wings, he won the International League batting title with a .320 average and was named the IL Rookie of the Year

On August 11th , Ruiz had his contract purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays and is hitting .292 with five home runs and eight RBI in 18 games for the Jays.

Ruiz is the first Las Vegas player to win the PCL MVP since Hiatt in 2001. He is in his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays organization and eleventh overall in professional baseball. The Bronx, New York native was signed by the Cincinnati Reds as a non-drafted free agent out of Bellevue (NE) University in 1998.

For more information on Ruiz and other 2009 PCL award-winners, please visit the League’s official website at pclbaseball.com. There you can also find information on the 2009 PCL playoffs, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, September 9th.

J.P Arencibia is definitely heating up as the temperature drops. although the game isn’t over yet, Arencibia has already gone 2 for 3 and both were homers with 2 guys on, so 6 rbi’s on the night, so far.

This is his 7th home run and 17 rbi’s in the last 10 games and gives him 21 hr’s and 74 rbi’s in 113 games for the year. He leads the PCL in both categories as a catcher.

Why does it look like we’re giving this game to the Yanks. In spite of the fact Millar went 0 for 5 yesterday and left 7 runners on, here he is batting 4th again. So what does he do-leave another 4 on. Of course, the great disappointment Wells, hitting 3rd, left 4 on as well. So far, Wells is 1 for 20 in September and Millar is 0 for 12 and they’re batting 3rd and 4th.

Bottom of the 8th, we’re done 1 run, Ruiz up and we pull him, and sub Lind, in spite of the fat Ruiz had already hit two over the fence. Why not sub Lind for EE who was coming up after Ruiz and have two shots at it instead of one.

If the Blue Jays are concerned that on a holiday weekend with the Yanks in town, they’re only drawing 22,000 fans, just wait. With this kind of in game management-I guarantee you it gets worse, and could break 10k.

I was disturbed to hear that Cito plans to move Snider to left and keep Lind as the DH next year. This will leave out Ruiz or anyone else for that matter. Clearly, Lind should be moved to first base. Overbay should be released. This is crazy. We need to put the strongest hitting lineup we can together. In case Cito has not noticed, his team is 25+ games behind. We need big bats and excellent pitching – JUST TO BE COMPETITIVE.

Burt
I disagree with one item. I don’t think Lind should go to first base, I think Dopirak should be called up to take that spot and I agree on dumping Overbay. Snider played right field before and will get used to playing it again. The kid learns fast, give him the rest of the season in right and he’ll be fine.
Snider in right, Lind in left, Ruiz the DH and Dopirak at first, giving us 4 guys who could all hit 30+ home runs and drive in 100, 5 with Hill, and 6 if EE comes around from his injury and improves his defense.

Cito should take another look at the Yank lineup-8 of 9 guys have hit over 20 hr’s and could all either drive in 100 or come close to it. That’s our competition and what we have to beat. Cito should worry more about Wells, than anything else, because if he’s here next year it doesn’t matter what anyone else does, we’ll still lose.

Even with the lineup, I mentioned above we will struggle to compete with the Yanks and we will need strong pitching and defense to do so .

Since Arencibia is lined up to go to the AFL this year, although I still think he’d gained a lot of experience being called up the AFL is worthwhile.
But, I expect Brian Dopirak must be sitting in Vegas wondering exactly what the hell he needs to do to be called up. Instead we call up Phillips, when a month ago the word was Phillips was never really taken seriously as a prospect.

All Dopirak has done in Vegas is hit .330/.366/.509 and his year numbers are 42 doubles, 27 home runs and 102 Rbi’s compared to Phillips 13 doubles, 9 hr’s and 30 RBI’s. Arencibia by comparison has 32 doubles, 21 hr’s and 75 rbi’s.

There has been a rumor that JP will not take any prospect he didn’t draft seriously and not let them impede his own draft choices. Is this what we’re seeing with Dopirak? Is JP concerned Dopirak will heat up at the MLB level and block Cooper, the first rounder who we spent 1. 3 mill or so on a year ago, who’s sort of floundered this year in AA.

Or is it because Cito wants to ensure Millar, Barajas and Chavez all get lots of at bats before the end of year because they’re all free agents????? Does this help the Jays?

Well this lack of a move could come back and bite us in the rear, since Dopirak is a minor league free agent this year and our failure to act when he’s performed above and beyond, just might convince him to sign with someone else. I certainly would.

Of are we just seeing more of the same idiotic, stupid management decisions that locked us into such losers as Millar, Mench, Wilkerson and so many more.

Quote:
This isn’t just true of JP, gsjays, it is true of all teams. They always put more value in their higher picks that they have paid large signing bonuses to. The exercise is to get them through the minors and into the bigs as fast as possible, so these “bonus babies” are given preference over other players that may have better numbers at the time. This is the reason that players like Dopirak, Ruiz, Jesse Carlson, and others spend years and years bouncing around in the minors wondering what they have to do to get a chance. I often thought the Jays would be well off to hire a scout just to comb through their own minor league affiliates looking for those lost souls that deserve a chance.

Quote: “There has been a rumor that JP will not take any prospect he didn’t draft seriously and not let them impede his own draft choices.”
This isn’t just true of JP, gsjays, it is true of all teams. They always put more value in their higher picks that they have paid large signing bonuses to. The exercise is to get them through the minors and into the bigs as fast as possible, so these “bonus babies” are given preference over other players that may have better numbers at the time. This is the reason that players like Dopirak, Ruiz, Jesse Carlson, and others spend years and years bouncing around in the minors wondering what they have to do to get a chance. I often thought the Jays would be well off to hire a scout just to comb through their own minor league affiliates looking for those lost souls that deserve a chance.

The reason they want Kyle Phillips, gsjays , it so they can have a look at him for next year. They want to keep both Arencibia and Jeroloman in the minors for one more year at least, and since they may not sign Barahas or Chavez next year, they will likely need a backup catcher, and it will likely be Phillips.

Although it is true most teams value their picks higher, It’s also true that the good teams determine the quality of all prospects and promote according to quality. JP is simply trying to cover his a.r.s.e. because Dopirak is a lot better prospect than Cooper-who JP signed for $1.5 million and looks like he’s stuck in AA and no longer has the power projections originally suggested by JP. I suspect Dopirak will make this team next year when JP is booted out.

It might be that Phillips is being looked at for next year as a back up, but I doubt it. Arencibia will be one of two catchers coming north next year and it makes more sense to resign Chavez as back up with the hope he imparts some experience to Arencibia.
Jeroloman has failed miserably in AA, and will probably repeat or sent down to A+ or lower. I’m not convinced the Jays even consider him a serious prospect any longer and I suspect he’ll be passed in the depth chart next year by either Sean Ochinko, Johnathon Jaspe, Yan Gomes, or in fact all 3.

By the way, the other so called top prospects you liked at the start of the year (Ahrens, Jackson and Tolisano), which cost the Jays $4 million in signing bonuses have all failed again. Tolisano looked for a while like he might have gotten it but then went into the dumper. Next year will be interesting, because these guys can’t be promoted, but they can’t stop other prospects from coming up either.

I was one of the people who believed that Cito made a difference in this team’s hitting philosophy, especially last season, however with Cito’s continued stubburness in regards to issues like pinch-hitting and trotting guys like Millar and Bautista over Snider and even Ruiz I now believe that Cito along with Riccardi should be fired when the new president is announced. I hate to say that but to continue watching Bautista and Millar in the lineup and hitting in crucial spots is infuriating. I thought Snider was supposed to play against everybody, meaning including lefties and that didn’t last long.

This team desperately needs a clear direction, be it to go nuts in free agency, or deal Halladay and rebuild. I’ve defended J.P. on occasion here but to me his time is up too. I can go on about more issues but those stick out the most for me and I need some sleep.
Goodnight everybody!

I guess I have to point out gsjays, that the reason Phillips is here is that they are going to need catchers next year, and it is not going to be Arencibia or Jeroloman. Plus, all the minor leaguers that you are so hot on are not even on the 40 man roster, so they are not even eligible for callup. They had to put Marcum on the 60 day just to get a look at Phillips.
I also object to your statement that other teams do a better job of scouting undervalued players than the Jays do. Otherwise how did players like Jesse Carlson, Randy Ruiz, Brian Dopirak, and others end up with the Jays organization in the first place? Somebody had to scout them and sign them, and since the final say is JP’s, he at least did something right.

Randy Ruiz, gsjays, who you were so hot to get to the big club, and hit well when he first came up, has hit .225 in his last 10 games. Travis Snider, a “bonus Baby”, blazed through the minors, and hit very well in AAA this year, continues to struggle with the Jays and has also hit .225 in his last 10 games. I could show you countless other examples of players that tore the cover off the ball in Spring Training, and in the minors, but fizzled at the major league level. My point is that just because a player hits well in the minors doesn’t mean that he will hit well in the majors.
The big difference is in the scouting, the availability of video, and highly paid coaches that specialize in finding a hitter’s weak spots. When you add the fact that the vast majority of major league pitchers were in the top 10 per cent in the minors, hitting in the bigs is much more difficult than in the minors, and not everybody can make the adjustment.

yer-please get your facts straight before you post. I wasn’t hot on getting Ruiz here at all, I wanted Dopirak and Arencibia.
And Ruiz isn’t hitting .225 in his last 10 games, what do you do just make this stuff up? Ruiz has played a grand total of 21 games here. In that timeframe he’s hit .284/.379/.541 with 1 double, 6 hr’s and 12 rbi’s, so he’s hitting hr’s and driving in runs at a faster clip than any other Blue Jay.

Snider is hitting .250/.364/.357 for the month of September. As I remember, you were also one of the most vocal posters here against Adam Lind when he first came up and posted numerous times he wouldn’t make it, etc. etc. etc. I was for quite some time the only one here pressing for Lind and stating exactly what he has become. See, these young guys just need time to adjust to how the pitchers adjust to them.
Last time I checked it really is the same game in AAA as it is here, but there’s better lighting here and more pressure. Kids need to get acclimatized to the crowds, tv broadcasts ,etc. With Snider it really gets back to him adjusting to how the pitchers have adjusted to him. If you have noticed ( and I know you haven’t), Snider’s OBP has improved dramatically since he was us in May which is a great sign, meaning the adjustment is underway and I expect him to go on a tear before year end. I also expect he could hit 35-45 hr’s next year and drive in 100+.

yerouttaheah-You must really be proud of your boy JP Riccardi, because the hens have come home to roost on your guy.
The record for the minor league teams, this year are as follows:
Auburn: 26-49, .347 win %, finished in 14th place-or last place in a 14 team league.
Lansing: 28-41, .406 win%, finished in 14th place in a 15 team league.
Dunedin: 69-69, .500 win%, best finish was 2nd half-3rd place in division.
New Hampshire:. 64-78, .451 win%, finished in 10th place in a 12 team league.
Vegas 51’s: 71-73, .493 win%, 10th place in a 16 team league.
None of our minor league teams this year are in the playoff’s, for the first time in about 8-10 years.

In addition, when JP leaves Toronto this year, he can go, knowing he was responsible for setting a couple of other new records in Blue Jay history. One, this team will set a new franchise low for wins post all-star, unless they go on a serious terror over the last 23 games, which I doubt. So think about it, a new level of mediocrity which even outshines our early years as a franchise. Pathetic.

And second, although it’s hard to know what the record will be, last night’s “announced attendance” of 11, 159 certainly sets a new record for low attendance at the Rogers center. It might in fact be a new franchise record, although I’m sure the Jays wouldn’t want to announce that, if in fact it is the case. And that number was for a Hallady start. I wonder what the balance of home games brings.
In my view, the single biggest cause for this fan apathy is the circus orchestrated by JP when he tried to trade Halladay. Fans were, rightfully so, more upset with how the situation was handled than whether the trade happened or not. JP made this franchise and City look like amateurs, and this low attendance is payback.

This team has no direction, no plan, no leadership. It’s becoming an embarrassment to be a Blue Jays fan. Yer-JP has made you proud.

yer-again, man you need to gets facts straight before posting. The Jays had and still have all kinds of maneuverability on the 40 man roster. Others can be moved to the 60 day dl, without any issue so room could have easily been made for Arencibia, Dopirak and possibly a lh reliever to take pressure off of Carlson.

That being said, seeing how Cito is using Ruiz, it probably doesn’t matter anyway, and I now question why they brought him up in the first place. Cito’s only played him in 6 of the last 13 games, so to me, it looks like he’s being used to give Millar a break, not being reviewed for a possible position next year.
Ruiz, like Snider should be playing everyday, and Lind should be playing in left field not dh. How is Lind going to improve as a left fielder if we don’t play him there and how is Snider ever going to settle in to RF if we don’t play him. Of course they’ll both make mistakes, that’s how they learn, but fact is we’re going to lose anyway.

Although, I have a lot of respect for Cito winning two world series, I think he misunderstands, as do the balance of Jays management, why fans aren’t attending games.

The simple fact is, there’s no reason to attend. As a fairly serious Blue Jays fan, I knew this year was going to be difficult and called for the Jays to finish either 4th or last. I called for them to win between 70 and 75 games and right now I think I might have been too optimistic.
However, what I didn’t see happening, and no fan did, is this adrift the team is currently in, because at one time the new President was supposed to be announced early in the year. That hasn’t happened and now will probably not happen until after the season and potentially after the series. I knew the new President would clean house, as all new Presidents do and bring in his own people to fill key roles like GM and field manager which I felt is necessary for this team to move forward.
In this rudderless drift the team has been put on, fans get no sense of a positive future, so why support a losing cause if the team itself doesn’t seem to care.

The low attendance is the Jays responsibility, no one else and is the result of consistent lying to the fan base by JP, poor fan appreciation, bad moves, bad contracts and bad marketing. They had a chance with the September call ups to show fans what the potential future might look like and called up kids like Dopirak, Arencibia, possibly Castro-for short relief, and numerous others. No one expects these kids to play flawless, errors and embarrassing moments are expected, but it would still be a lot more fun watching these kids perform and develop than Wells, Millar, et all.

That being said, Cito himself is also responsible by not playing Ruiz and sitting Snider against left handers-when he said he wasn’t going to, etc. Hey Ruiz, might not be an answer, but it would be nice to see him play everyday to see if he is. Lind wasn’t able to hit left handers either when he first came up, he hits the hell out of them now and that didn’t happen by sitting him on a bench. And by the way Snider hit the hell out of left handers in Vegas.

Of course as fans we hear the same rhetoric, they’re not ready, they won’t get playing time, etc. etc. etc.. Well, the way I as a fan and others look at it, if the Jays really don’t think they’re ready, the future looks pretty damn bleak, and I for one refuse to spend money on a ticket to watch Vernon Wells slap another ground ball to short or third and continually kill rallies, etc. I’ll stay at home, and watch the games intermittently only when either Snider, Hill, Lind or Ruiz is up to bat. I’m sure thousands of fans feel exactly the same way I do.

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